237
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
P. Saundry, B. L. Ruddell (eds.), The Food-Energy-Water Nexus, AESS
Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and Sciences Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29914-9_9
Chapter 9
Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services
Nathanial Matthews, Wei Zhang, Andrew Reid Bell,
and Lara Treemore-Spears
9.1 Introduction
This chapter identifies core principles of ecology and environmental science applicable to the nexus and discusses the tightly coupled socio-ecological systems that
establish ecosystems services (ES) within the nexus. The chapter begins by outlining key ecological principles and their interdependencies, demonstrating how ecosystem services are provided related to food, energy, and water. It then illustrates
how ecosystems and ecosystem services are valued with respect to the nexus. Next,
it outlines the relationship of ecosystem services to the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) (see Sect. 3.7) before concluding with a case study examining the
importance of ecosystem services in erosion control services and conservation
agriculture.
As is outlined in other Chapters, population growth (Sect. 3.3), a degraded natural resource base, and climate change (Chap. 11) have intensified, and are projected
N. Matthews (*)
Global Resilience Partnership, Nairobi, Kenya
e-mail: nathanial.matthews@kcl.ac.uk
W. Zhang
Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research
Institute, Washington, DC, USA
e-mail: w.zhang@cgiar.org
A. R. Bell
Department of Environmental Studies, New York University, New York, NY, USA
e-mail: andrew.reid.bell@nyu.edu
L. Treemore-Spears
Health Urban Waters, College of Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
e-mail: treemorespears@wayne.edu
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
P. Saundry, B. L. Ruddell (eds.), The Food-Energy-Water Nexus, AESS
Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and Sciences Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29914-9_9
Chapter 9
Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services
Nathanial Matthews, Wei Zhang, Andrew Reid Bell,
and Lara Treemore-Spears
9.1 Introduction
This chapter identifies core principles of ecology and environmental science applicable to the nexus and discusses the tightly coupled socio-ecological systems that
establish ecosystems services (ES) within the nexus. The chapter begins by outlining key ecological principles and their interdependencies, demonstrating how ecosystem services are provided related to food, energy, and water. It then illustrates
how ecosystems and ecosystem services are valued with respect to the nexus. Next,
it outlines the relationship of ecosystem services to the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) (see Sect. 3.7) before concluding with a case study examining the
importance of ecosystem services in erosion control services and conservation
agriculture.
As is outlined in other Chapters, population growth (Sect. 3.3), a degraded natural resource base, and climate change (Chap. 11) have intensified, and are projected
N. Matthews (*)
Global Resilience Partnership, Nairobi, Kenya
e-mail: nathanial.matthews@kcl.ac.uk
W. Zhang
Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research
Institute, Washington, DC, USA
e-mail: w.zhang@cgiar.org
A. R. Bell
Department of Environmental Studies, New York University, New York, NY, USA
e-mail: andrew.reid.bell@nyu.edu
L. Treemore-Spears
Health Urban Waters, College of Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
e-mail: treemorespears@wayne.edu